We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

SELECT	MAX(Val)
FROM	Table
WHERE	Val < (SELECT MAX(Val) FROM Table)

We walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

Declare @t as Table (a int, b date)

insert into @t (a,b)values('2','2012-12-21')

insert into @t (a,b)values('2','2012-12-23')

insert into @t (a,b)values('3','2012-11-23')

insert into @t (a,b)values('3','2012-11-21')

insert into @t (a,b)values('2','2012-12-21')

;With Cte as (
Select *,Row_Number() Over(Partition by a order by b desc) rn from @t
)
Select a,b from Cte where rn=2


;With Cte as (
Select *,Row_Number() Over(Partition by a order by b asc) rn from @t
)
Select a,b from Cte where rn=2